Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Noah's Training
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The infamous reputation of the newly appointed Noah, vice-commander of the Third Unit, quickly spread through Prim's secret army.
Just hearing the name Noah made people tremble in fear—that said it all.
“What do you think of Noah, the vice-commander I recommended?”
Having finished at the Academy and completed her research on the record parchment, Prim visited the Third Unit for the first time in a while.
When she asked Captain Cassie Habit about the unit's activities, he shrugged and averted his gaze.
“Ah... He's a passionate one. The overall atmosphere in the unit has definitely changed these past few days.”
Not just the Third Unit, but the Fourth and Fifth Units as well had been training in a state of constant tension lately.
It hadn't been long, so their skills hadn't improved dramatically yet, but at this rate, growth was inevitable.
Honestly, she'd been a bit negligent in managing the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Units, thinking she just needed to fill the ranks. She was busy secretly favoring the First and Second Units, after all.
“Run, run, run, run.”
Dun had set up obstacles in a secret location and was clapping out a rhythm to make the soldiers move in sync.
They were replicas of the tough terrains people struggled to cross when infiltrating the imperial palace.
With his extensive experience infiltrating the palace, Dun found it easy to identify and recreate those terrains.
“Now the back row, catch the ones running ahead. Catch them, and you're exempt from wrap-up training. Get caught, and it's double.”
As the front soldiers scrambled over the obstacles, Dun deployed others whose goal was to chase them down.
“Climb faster. If you don't do it right, I'll come after you myself.”
The soldiers' movements sped up dramatically. While they hurriedly cleared the obstacles, Dun carefully observed which muscle groups they lacked, making it hard for them overall.
Prim watched Dun intently as he seriously inspected the troops.
Even if Dun had lived twenty years longer, this seemed tough. Had he been a commander before dying?
Dun's past was becoming more and more intriguing.
“Thank you for your hard work today!”
Training for the day ended. Dun waved his hand dismissively in response to the soldiers' polite greetings and dismissed them.
Prim ran up to Dun, who was heading home, and quickly threw her arm around his neck in a buddy hold.
Since Dun, disguised as Noah, was taller, his body tilted sharply when Prim hooked his shoulder.
“Rushing off right after training? Where to, Vice-Commander Noah?”
“Mom asked me to take out the trash.”
Pfft. The unexpected answer to that sight made laughter bubble out involuntarily.
Arriving via teleportation magic circle at a quiet corner of Genesis, Dun dropped his disguise and reverted to his childlike ten-year-old appearance, looking like he was just out grazing grass.
The contrast with his charismatic demeanor from moments ago was so stark that Prim suddenly pulled him into a hug. He felt overwhelmingly adorable.
“Cute little guy. Every time I see you, my heart just melts.”
Dun recoiled in disgust as Prim abruptly embraced him.
“Get off me. You stink of sweat.”
“Me? I didn't even work out.”
“I do.”
“It's fine, it's fine. You're human—you sweat sometimes.”
“I hate it.”
Sniffing his clothes and wrinkling his nose, Dun pulled out Roqueurin perfume from his inventory and sprayed himself liberally.
“Hmm, I thought naturally messy types were insensitive to smells, but that's interesting.”
“Why would I be the messy type?”
As he spoke, Dun recalled his room where Rihaowel always sighed heavily. He stopped arguing with Prim.
“...People can be sensitive to smells.”
Prim burst into laughter again at Dun's sheepish excuse.
“More importantly, did you make contact with those academy kids from the Bachinum faction?”
Lately, Dun had been bringing various pieces of intel and plans every night, so they held strategy meetings daily.
“I did. But they thought the current Bachinum was dead and had switched to the pro-emperor side.”
“Why not just declare I'm the Bachinum? Show off your powers.”
“Tried that. The pro-emperor nobles branded me a lunatic. People know next to nothing about Bachinums. There's no visible way to distinguish one from an ordinary person without overwhelming power, so no one believes me otherwise.”
“Still, after that big announcement claiming to be the Bachinum, some groups must suspect you now. Tell me about the nobles giving off vibes.”
“The Duke of Fuergor family is a bit suspicious. They're pretending not to be while providing magic items. They keep trying to send over talented soldiers.”
“Funny. Aren't they pro-emperor?”
“Exactly. I'm keeping them in check while making contact.”
Prim recalled Luyan Fuergor, the young duke from the academy. The red curly hair, always watching her. She remembered his introverted, quiet personality. And his cheeks that flushed sometimes.
“Don't the Fuergors have pretty strong forces?”
She wasn't into noble politics, but she'd heard plenty about the Fuergor Duke family.
The Red Knights. Famous for their overwhelming destructive power and offensive strength, packed with flame-type magic swordsmen and mages.
It'd be great to pull them to their side, but she couldn't act rashly without confirming their intentions.
“You must've done background checks, of course. Tell me what you found.”
“I confirmed they're helping me behind the scenes.”
“They're hiding their support?”
“Yeah. I don't know why, so I'm not sure if I should approach them openly.”
“Why help in secret? Because they're publicly pro-emperor?”
“Could be. Haven't found anything shady yet.”
The unexpected aid was suspicious but also somewhat welcome.
Passing on the Red Knights' techniques from the Fuergor Duke family to the First Unit could create great synergy.
What were Luyan Fuergor's intentions in so readily helping Prim?
“Let's go probe him sometime.”
“I was just about to ask you to do that.”
“Really?”
“Experience counts, right? You seem better at reading people than I am. If their intentions aren't bad, I'd like to negotiate properly.”
“Negotiation sounds good.”
Dun nodded.
“But the Fuergors being pro-emperor bothers me. If there's any chance they're scheming, blackmail might be faster.”
* * *
Lee Saewol slipped out of the Association secretly to placate the head of the media outlet whose relationship with Association President Kim Woosung had soured.
Since security was tightened, only the nimble Lee Saewol could escape the Association building. Even Sul Doyun, the next fastest, found it tough—that said it all.
Having passed CCTV, camera drones, and even motion-detection lasers, Lee Saewol dragged her battered body—messy from hastily scaling the wall—down the street.
Near the arcade the Yu siblings' younger brother frequented.
Lee Saewol leaned obliquely against a bench under a streetlamp and wiped the blood trickling from her head with her hand.
If someone called the cops or an ambulance, it'd be trouble, so she covertly covered her small wounds with a stray plastic bag. Should've brought a recovery syringe.
“Hey, buddy!!”
The familiar voice of a boy calling her. Lee Saewol looked up at the approaching figure.
Sure enough, it was Yu Heeya.
If she sat around here at this hour, he'd pop up. Two-block haircut with a mole on his nose bridge.
“Again, why're you all busted up like this!”
He always overreacted wildly whenever he saw her. Why, though?
“Hey buddy, wanna play that soccer game?”
Yu Heeya eyed Lee Saewol and hurriedly scooped her up on his back.
“FIFA? Got it. Let's treat those wounds first.”
“Mm.”
After getting close to Lee Saewol, Yu Heeya found himself wandering near the arcade every evening for some reason.
Even mid-Ninapinta game, evening would hit, and thoughts of the suddenly injured Lee Saewol wandering somewhere would log him out automatically.
Sure enough, her vibe was off today, and there she was, sprawled on the bench covered in injuries.
“You okay? What happened?”
“Forgot my recovery syringe.”
“Recovery syringe?”
“It's medicine.”
“No, I meant why're you hurt.”
“Stuff happens when you're out and about. Why pry?”
“Ah, got it. Sorry. Don't get mad.”
Before long, they arrived at the grand standalone house of the Yu family.
Yu Heeya sat Lee Saewol on the sofa and fetched the first-aid kit. Despite the wounds looking severe, she didn't make a peep. Not even when he applied disinfectant.
“Back's hurt too.”
“Aaah, hey!! You crazy punk!! What if someone sees with my shirt off like this!”
“What're you on about, idiot. Gotta disinfect it.”
She'd taken a nasty gash on her back falling from a height during a roll, landing on jagged rocks.
Lee Saewol lifted the back of her T-shirt and draped it over her head.
Beneath the lifted shirt, the child's scrawny back was visible. A deep gash crossing her protruding spine, crusted with blood and dirt.
Yu Heeya covered his eyes with his arm, then panicked and urgently called someone. It was torn badly.
“Hey!!! Yu Heemin!! Help out!”
Yu Heeya left the room and pounded on the door labeled “Yu Heemin's Room.”
“I told you to leave me alone at home! And don't call me 'hey'!!”
“Lee Saewol's here—put some ointment on her!”
“Lee Saewol?”
Her vibe and actions oddly resembled Dun's, drawing his gaze. He wanted to get close, but her blunt speech laced with swears was intimidating, and they didn't seem compatible, so he hadn't approached.
Whenever Yu Heeya brought her, she always came in injured, and despite her blank expression, her situations looked precarious, pulling his attention. He wanted to look after her, cherish her.
Since he wanted a chance to bond, Yu Heemin readily entered his brother's room.
“What, what is it. Uwaaack!”
Inside, Lee Saewol had her T-shirt over her head and was gaming. Her body bore many small scars, but her back had an ugly gash. Plenty of other scars too.
“A-Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
Lee Saewol nodded, focused on her game.
“Does it hurt a lot?”
“Not really.”
Eyeing Lee Saewol carefully, Yu Heemin gingerly dabbed disinfectant on her back wound with cotton.
Holding back emerging tears as he applied the ointment, he noticed his brother bringing ginseng his dad bought.
“Buddy, ginseng time, ginseng.”
“Hey buddy's gaming.”
“Fine, fine. I'll cut it. Tch, what a temper.”
Yu Heeya grabbed nearby safety scissors and snipped the top of the ginseng pack, slipping it into the gaming Lee Saewol's mouth.
“Ugh, that pushover punk... But just giving her the bitter stuff? Get some apple juice too. From Kim Kyung-sam's pesticide-free farm.”
Spotting Lee Saewol grimace at the bitter ginseng, Yu Heemin ordered apple juice. Yu Heeya hurriedly fetched it.
Mid-game, the liquid in her mouth switched from ginseng to apple juice. And beside her, two persistent gazes.
Their stares were so tenacious that Lee Saewol hammered the controller, then finally turned toward the siblings.
“What.”
“...It must be hard to talk about, but could you tell us what happened?”
Lee Saewol stared at the siblings. They'd been wearing needy expressions since earlier.
The golden boy and girl siblings from CSK Media on her list. Both screamed well-raised.
Investigating CSK CEO Yoo, he didn't seem the type to deliberately harm others. If family safety was at stake, cutting ties with the Association President made sense.
“I'll tell you.”
“Really? You're really gonna tell us?!”
“But do me one favor first.”
“Anything!”
Yu Heeya jumped up in shock right there. She'd never spill what happened, and prying got curses, leaving him frustrated.
Finally learning Lee Saewol's personal situation thrilled him into agreeing to anything, but Yu Heemin stayed cautious.
“Mind if I ask what the favor is first?”
Lee Saewol nodded.
“Just take a themed selfie with me.”
The tension deflated at the anticlimactic request. Had feelings grown secretly, wanting memories with them? It felt kinda cute.
“Sure, that's easy. So what's the theme?”
* * *
CSK Media's CEO Yoo was pulling an all-nighter amid floods of tips on gates and hunters.
Ding! Ding!
Suddenly, a photo arrived via KakaoTalk from his beloved daughter.
The two siblings knelt bound with twine and Scotch tape, a kid in a plastic bag over their head standing behind.
The bag had holes for eyes and mouth, revealing a wicked grin below.
「Abyss. You know what happens if you call the cops?」